Amazon to Ban Sale of Google’s Chromecast, Apple TV

Amazon, a prime spot to pick up the latest tech from Google and Apple, is now banning the sale of Google’s Chromecast dongles and the Apple TV. Starting now, no new listings will go up for these products, and on October 29, all existing listings for these devices will be removed.

Why would Amazon do this? Competition. Amazon now promotes the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, and to help lessen that device’s competition, they can simply disallow competitors to list their products. Is is extremely shady in the eye’s of consumers? Absolutely, but Amazon has every right to do it.

Naturally, the Roku, Xbox, and PlayStation, all of which allow for streaming via Amazon Prime Video, will remain available for customers to purchase.

According to an email sent out from Amazon corporate, “Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.”

From now on, you will need to pick up your Chromecast dongles from either Google Store, Best Buy, or any other online retailer that carries it.

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Meffaliss

Such a decision is not illegal since they are a marketplace, but let’s be honest; this is quite morally bad from them. The main issue is that they’ve been selling products with services competing with theirs for a very long time. So why not port prime video on other devices like the Chromecast/Apple TV? That means giving your consumers more choices on how they want to access your services. Forcing your own product on consumers when you’re the owner of the MARKETPLACE (not a dedicated brand store like Google’s, Apple’s and Microsoft’s who only sell their own products or stuff licensed by them) Is morally wrong. If consumers don’t want your product to begin with, what will entice them in buy it now when you’ve discontinued the sales of the competing products they did want? They’ll go to another retailer and buy it from them, easy as that. Those retailers will make some revenue from the sale and Amazon won’t. If nobody wants the Fire Stick, that means no sales. No sales, no profit. If nobody buys the competing products directly from Amazon, that means no additional revenue from THAT sale.
If the fire Stick/TV was selling like cup cakes, then I would understand the decision. Right now though; I see this hurting them more than anything else.

Felipe Cortinas

So I am somewhat confused…. Amazon I think is fair to say has a huge market share of the Online market place, yet they can choose to outright ban competitors products from their website.

Google it’s fair to say has a huge market share of the online search market place, but if they are seen to prioritize their own products/ services on THEIR SEARCH ENGINE the courts and anti trust lawyers swarm like feeding sharks.

Can someone explain the difference in each company wanting to prioritize their products over their competitors but one of them not being allowed to?

Swann

I’m in market research so here’s an objective opinion:

It’s a peculiar move from a business perspective. There is no other streaming media player that sells the volume that Chromecast does. Now when you take into consideration that the percent of CE purchases made online is higher than any other industry, it creates a competitive advantage for Amazon. However, Chromecast is sold at near manufacturing costs so there is not a big margin on it. The Apple TV though likely has a higher margin. Now Amazon hopes to drive more people to using Prime Instant Video, but this could backfire long-term. When looking at the transactional digital video industry, the lift [they hope to generate in driving more people to their iVOD platform] probably won’t be as big to make up for the lost revenues from selling Chromecast. The volume of iVOD overall is still very small and the user experience across the board is subpar compared to sVOD offerings like Netflix. The Amazon sVOD offering is ok and the experiece ok, but people with Prime don’t go the iVOD route very often.

But the main idea behind chromecast is to drive people to the google platform of services and expose people to more ads to generate more revenue. I think everyone is making a big deal out of this a little too soon. What is very clear is that chromecast sales will take an immediate hit which Google won’t be too happy about, but many households already have a chromeast and if you have one that works, there is not really a reason to upgrade to the newer one. The long-term effects of this won’t impact the consumer. It’s going to impact Google, Amazon and Apple to varying degrees. If you look at Amazon financials, their costs continue to rise and they don’t turn a big profit (eventually investors will get sick of this, but Wall street analysts have been saying that for quite a while)

What I’m not sure of is whether or not Amazon will allow 3rd party Marketplace sellers to sell Chromeast on Amazon. If they do, this decision by Amazon means nothing because consumers will continue purchasing the device online. But I don’t think this is going to result in drastically larger sales of Fire TV and Fire TV sticks.

I have experience in the Consumer Electronics and Content industries, so my perspective on this takes all of this into account.

michael arazan

They have told 3rd parties that they can not offer the chromecast anymore, and have given them 30 days.

h4rr4r

Would it not be easier and better to add chromecast and apple tv support for prime video?

Mike

To cancel prime over them not selling a sub par media stick is ridiculous. You guys must not use amazon very much.

overclock

I read the title of the article and thought, “Wow, Amazon has some serious power to ban the sale of Google and Apple products. I bet Samsung wishes it was that powerful.”

Please upvote it as helpful if you can. Doubt it will do any good or Amazon will acknowledge it, but I want to deter as many as possible from this garbage.

Nick Ramacciato

Amazon is straight up pathetic.

Snowbo13

Hey amazon I got my new chromecast today… I was originally waiting for amazon to have it on prime but decided to order from google 2 days ago and already have it in hand and hooked up. Sorry no amazon stick or device for me. (Replaced my old chromecast and moved my old one upstairs)

Well if Amazon has every right to do it. Then Google has every right to delist Amazon from Search – Ouch there goes the stock price down the shitter

Akmed

Yes, because no one knows about amazon, apu.

trumpet444

While its their business and they can do with it whatever they please, they can’t claim to have everything from “A-Z” anymore. I wonder if they’ll change their logo?

TC Infantino

Dick move Amazon, dick move.

Mike Baustian

So now I have to learn to write chrome extensions so I can make one that disabled all Add to Cart buttons on amazon in chrome.
seriously though, at what point to anti-competitive laws take effect?

CoreRooted

Legally, Amazon can do this and it can’t be considered anti-competitive. It is their storefront. Therefore, if they don’t want to allow competing products, they don’t have to. It’d be like going to an Apple store and saying they are anti-competitive for not selling Microsoft products.

With that said, it is a dick move by them.

TC Infantino

Comparing to an Apple store isn’t exactly the same. Apple stores only sell Apple stuff. Whereas Amazon sells pretty much everything. A better example would be if Walmart stopped selling Castrol Syntec oil because it directly competed with the Walmart brand oil.

Milan Djurovic

Is Amazon going to ban other tablets, phones, speakers…?

sumb0765

Stupid move . Not interested to buy fire junks at all.

capncoad

That’s unacceptable to me. Limiting choice because you have a competing product. Using your power as a shopping brand to only sell your products. Going to let my prime expire and find other ways to support more open businesses.

Carlos Reyes

And yet google was sued by promoting their own services.

redskins59rocs .

Great way to turn people away from the actual Amazon service people actually care about shopping, good job?

Prox

This sounds illegal.

JRomeo

its like as if you owned a hardware store, and you wanted to sell your own hammers, instead of the other brand name’s hammers…. Same thing…

Gf1fanatic

Sounds like a lot of you guys are pissed off cause you don’t own any Amazon stock! Amazon is doing the right thing. Anyway, for god’s sakes, you wanna buy an Apple TV, buy it from Apple!

MastermindDrew

I bet they change course. Sooner than later. Bezos always said he wanted you to be able to buy anything on Amazon

tabatt13

So Microsoft gets investigated as anti competitive for not including links to different, browsers in Windows, and Google gets investigated as anti competitive for including its Play Services on Android Devices and in its search results, but this is supposed to be perfectly okay? It’s bad enough that Apple can get away with what Microsoft and Google can’t, but this is ridiculous. I can understand it being okay not to make apps or their services available to the competition, but refusing to sell the competitions retail products on a retail website because they compete with your own product sounds illegal to me. I hope Google and Apple file legal complaints ASAP.

FknTwizted

Shut up you left wing liberal… Its direct competition to their product of course they would want to do this because of it… I surprised they still allowed the product to be sold on their website.

tabatt13

This has absolutely nothing to do with being liberal or not. it’s business 101. Amazon is a Retail seller that markets itself as having everything you need in one location. What if they started removing competitors tablets too stating that they compete with their Kindle Fire tablets? iI’s even more blatant because they only single out Apple and Google, while allowing Roku and others. Besides this being bad business and generally bad form and it’s clearly anti competitive.

Mike

They can sell or not sell what they want. Bottom line.

FknTwizted

No what is anti-competitive is to force any company to sell their competitor’s products. but your reasoning you should be required to have a Amazon Prime account and forced to buy their products.

Cowboydroid

Why doesn’t Prime Video work with Chromecast? Make it work with Chromecast, and I’d actually use it.

jim hienkel

It’s they’re store they can do what they want. Does apple sell fire TV?

William_Morris

Apple only sells Apple products, Google only sells Google products and products made by Google partners.

Amazon’s motto is that have you covered from A to Z (hence the arrow that goes from a to z in their Amazon logo). Not selling these other products is a lame excuse for bolstering their sales. It’s practically a bait and switch. “Oh, we don’t carry Chromecast, but we do carry the Amazon Fire Stick which works way better (read: only within our proprietary forked half-built half-working system built off of someone else’s software project and only works within Amazon’s framework of products and product partners.)

“Amazon’s Fire Stick is a number one best seller!” (Even though we know if we carried Apple TV and Chromecast it would be in third.)

starnovsky

Apple is not a store, Apple is a computer company which also directly selling its own products.
Amazon is a store which for whatever reason also happened to make computer products.

I’m lost, I could have sworn when Chromecast was 1st introduced Google said any app would be compatible by just adding a few lines of code to the app. So if Amazon wanted Prime Video to play nice with the Chromecast why don’t they just add the few lines of code? From my understanding, correct me if I am wrong, this is Amazon’s fault.

Franklin Ramsey

It is Amazon’s fault, but you think they want to say “We are no longer going to carry a competing product because we are too lazy to release an App on a competing system.”

Inquizitor

In bird culture this is considered a dick move.

Bop it_Twis it_Pull it

Amazon barely makes money, they’re in the red, losing over $200 a year

Bop it_Twis it_Pull it

They pull some strings to make money elsewhere

TC Infantino

$200 a year? Damn, add a couple of cents to the price of a Prime membership and they will be rolling in the money.

Bop it_Twis it_Pull it

Thanks for pointing it out, forgot to write million after that lol

TC Infantino

LOL I was just joking around.

Joseph Rocheleau

I find it incredibly amusing that Amazon is saying they’re doing this because Chromecast doesn’t support Prime Video, but the Fire TV/Stick has never supported Play Video…

I have a TV Stick in my living room for most of my viewing needs and a Chromecast in my bedroom to cast stuff off my phone. Works just fine for me, but it’d still be nice to have Play apps on the Stick.

Patrick Smithopolis

I don’t think it’s shady at all. It’s business.

John Jenness

only a matter of time.

renGek

Seems like a bone head business move to me. Their lawyers must realize this move mind as well be a giant billboard daring regulators to probe them for antitrust.

Franklin Ramsey

It has nothing to do with antitrust laws. There are no laws that state a retailer has to sell a product. You don’t see Google selling Fire sticks on their store, do you?

FknTwizted

You are an idiot. before you open that hole between your nose and chin get educated on anti-trust laws… fricken arm chair attorney.

compwagon

I agree with everyone that this is a very stupid move on Amazon’s part, though legally they of course are allowed to choose what they will and will not sell themselves. I wonder, though, what the European Commission will think of them blocking their 3rd party sellers from selling them, though?

They are essentially acting as just a search engine and web host for those sellers, and this is them using a strong market position (online retail) to artificially augment a weak market position (online video), very similar to the set of circumstances for which Google is being investigated right now. The only major difference is that Amazon has a much higher marketshare in online retail than Google does in mobile phone OS’s, which would seem to make it even more clear-cut.

As an American, I feel like it’s their site and legally they should be able to make all the mistakes they want to with it, but the EU appears to disagree with that principle…

Eikast

I guess Android TV isn’t that big in numbers if it wasn’t worthy of a ban 🙁

Gf1fanatic

Amazon is not the bad guy here. Apple and Google are. Apple does not allow Amazon Prime TV on the Apple TV. Google does not allow Amazon Prime on their Chromecast. What Amazon is doing makes perfect sense. They are a profit making business. Kudos to Amazon!!! I support their decision 100%

Franklin Ramsey

Google doesn’t allow amazon prime on their chromecast? Um, actually Amazon doesn’t allow Amazon Prime on the Chromecast. That isn’t Google. And Did Amazon develop an app for Apple TV and Apple denied it? I don’t think Amazon ever developed an App for the Apple TV, so again, not Apple denying Amazon Prime.

Gf1fanatic

You guys need to learn a little about capitalism. Amazon is very accommodating. You can watch Amazon Prime on your iPhone or iPad. But Amazon Prime is in stiff competition with Apple and Google over their TV streaming. It’s just as Netflix is losing streaming options due to competition from Hulu, etc.

What Amazon did makes perfect sense. Amazon is even contributing to your viewing pleasure with original series! What has Apple done for you lately?

Give ’em hell, Amazon!

Franklin Ramsey

Your response makes no sense. You blame Google and Apple for blocking Amazon services on their devices when it is Amazon that is not developing and releasing the Apps to use on Google and Apple’s devices.

Chris Hughes

I think you might be incorrect. I’m not sure about Apple, but Google has never prevented Amazon from using the Chromecast.

TC Infantino

Actually, Google would definitely “allow” Amazon Prime streaming on Chromecast. The APIs are open source, and all Amazon would have to do is set up their app to be compatible. The reason Amazon Prime doesn’t work with Chromecast is all because Amazon doesn’t Want their streaming service to work with a competitor’s device. They want you to buy their Fire Stick.

Chris Hughes

Interesting move. From my perspective it would likely devalue prime. Now that I know they will never support Chromecast/Apple Tv I certainly won’t ever buy one of their devices or consider their video/music as part of the “value” of prime. I want my content to be hardware agnostic.

View Askew

Screw you guys, I’m going home!

hfoster52

Who cares? Its them trying to leverage their app on Android and iOS since they are not allowed to as of right now. So this will just force people to buy the device in the 100’s of other places you can buy it.

Ahku Droid

After Amazon’s abysmal smartphone failure, haven’t they figured out going solo might not be the best idea? They use the OS Google designed for free, yet they snub their cash cow.

How much more revenue do they expect to receive from their, less supported by 3rd party apps, $39 Fire sticks/$99 Fire TVs? People dont want to buy multiple redundant devices. They’ll get more Prime users by branching out the reach of their services. I think Jeff Bezos should hire a new market research team…

Aaron

I just sent an email telling Amazon how terrible the OS is on their products and that they should continue selling Chromecast, and release a Prime Video app with Chromecast support. Any Prime customers here should do the same. Maybe if we are vocal about it something will happen. Probably not, but I have over a year left on my Prime subscription. I’m not willing to give that up in protest.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Amazon doesn’t care.

hfoster52

Agreed. They keep selling their own stuff.

Mike

Not even a little bit.

Aaron

Yeah I know. Something about the internet brings out my need to express displeasure in things and share with others their need to also be displeased.

Augustin

Really annoyed Amazon Music and Instant video is not on Android TV and Nexus player. Wish it had Vudu support too.

John

Is there some kind of law against this sort of anti competition blah blah blah

Jérôme Besnard

Another reason to stay away from Amazon and keep pushing my wife to use jet.com for all online purchases.

T_Dizzle

I read about Jet recently. How do you like it thus far? I’m planning on trying their service but a testimony is always helpful.

Jérôme Besnard

My wife likes. I can’t tell for myself since I don’t do online shopping. Give it a shot.

EC8CH

I already have three chromecasts, but this news somehow makes me want to buy more… and cancel my prime subscription….

vdefender

I bought 5, and am about to order one of the new ones. Amazon wont add cast support to prime movies? Fine, I wont use or pay for their service! Goodbye!

matt

I thought amazon isn’t banning the sale, but banning it from it being a prime purchase?

Mike

To all the people saying that they are going to cancel their membership, you do realize that is like saying “I’m going to boycott Walmart” it won’t do a thing.

OligarchyAmbulance

If you want to make a difference, somebody has to do it.

Mike

You’re not going to make a difference. That’s my point. You’d be better off emailing them.

OligarchyAmbulance

There’s a lot of very vocal people, on every tech website I’ve seen, saying they’re cancelling Prime. A bunch of people cancelling a paid service means Amazon losing money. That’s a lot different than emailing them, because email doesn’t cost anything. Voting with your wallet is proof you’re serious.

disastrousrainbow

Lawsuits in 3…2…1…

boisvert00

pfft. no one can sue them over this.

disastrousrainbow

This is America. You can sue anyone for anything. I could definitely see third-party sellers or some consumer agency bringing something to the table regarding this since there’s no real justification for it other than Amazon wanting to push their products over their competitors.

boisvert00

You can buy them anywhere else so a lawsuit like this would be thrown out in a second and Amazon isn’t the only “other” place to buy them so again, pfft.

Franklin Ramsey

This is America. You can sue anyone for anything, but that doesn’t mean you will win or even get a judge to hear the case. It doesn’t matter if there is no real justification for Amazon wanting to push their products over a competitor. Antitrust laws do not exist to force a company to sell a competitor’s product. If they did, you’d have Apple Stores being forced to sell Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell, HP and all their competitors products. This is no different. Just because a retailer sells a product does not mean they always have to sell said product.

disastrousrainbow

Oh, I never said it would be a *successful* lawsuit, but it would not surprise me at all if there was one because, again, ‘Murrica.

Franklin Ramsey

It saddens me that so many people think there can somehow be a viable lawsuit over this.

disastrousrainbow

Well when a person can successfully sue someone for having the audacity to bring them cookies to their doorstep, suddenly it’s not so sad.

Franklin Ramsey

Well the full story to that was the woman in question had an anxiety attack since she had recently been robbed several times. Why an adult would think it was a good idea to go around knocking on people’s doors at 10:30 at night and leave cookies on their doorstep, even if they are doing it with good intent is an error in judgment. And they only were successfully sued for the damages they incurred (IE: the medical bills), they didn’t have to pay for anything other than what their actions incurred. I don’t see how that has any basis in the argument you are making.

disastrousrainbow

Right, except they also offered to pay her medical bills too but she went ahead and sued them anyway, and the end result was the same except for the complete waste of everyone’s time. Honestly, if you can’t see the stupidity in all that then I should probably just sue you.

Franklin Ramsey

Well I’m sure she went ahead and sued them anyways because she thought she could get more out of them. She sued for anguish too, she lost that part of it though.

WickedToby741

I’m not really sure Amazon has “every right to do this”. They pretty much have a monopoly in online shopping and this is pretty clearly anticompetitive behavior that can get them into trouble. But in the meantime we can all just tell Amazon how we feel by reviewing their Fire TV products.

Mike

They can sell or not sell what they want.

Franklin Ramsey

Because Amazon is still a retailer and they have a right to determine what they sell. Just because they are refusing to sell a competitors product doesn’t make this anticompetitive behavior. anticompetitive behavior would actually be if a law existed to force a retailer to sell something that could detract from their business.

Tony Spencer

..

DanielMena9

What about the Antitrust Laws? This seems to limit competition per Clayton Antitrust Law, Interesting development

Franklin Ramsey

What about Antitrust Laws? Antitrust laws are mainly for mergers or for not allowing a company to force you to buy something (Say, you can only buy product A if you also buy product B from us). They don’t tell retailers what they can and can’t sell.

The Doctor

Amazon is still pissed because nobody bought their horrible Kindle Fire phone.

Jason Bittner

I bought one…. for $96, harvested the Prime and resold it for $90…. but I did buy one

flosserelli

$6 for a year of Prime. Nice job!

The Doctor

I can now tell everyone I know of someone who purchased an Amazon Fire phone. I don’t know how I feel about that.

Clift

Might have to cancel my Prime membership on principle. If enough people do this they will have a reversal of policy. This is a slippery slope they’re on. And I, for one, don’t like doing business with companies that are anti consumer or consumer choice

The Doctor

So…you won’t be shopping anywhere then?

Clift

Never said that. I never said I wasn’t going to ship with then either. But canceling the Prime membership will send a message because there use it as a key metric. They also know there is a high rate of purchases associated with Prime members. But you know, I have a fire TV and a Chromecast. Guess which one I will use for my movie rentals?

boisvert00

Your loss bro – I will take all the Amazon music, shipping, and video I can, for 99 bucks it’s a steal.

Clift

Your choice, and i respect that. I’m not losing much. We buy a lot of study from them, and I supported then as they refused to have Prime videos on Android. Now they do. I’ll take a bit of inconvenience until they come to their senses.

boisvert00

Have you used Alexa yet ?!?!? I wish I had her when I was a kid with my homework, it’s pretty darn cool.

Clift

No never tried it

boisvert00

Really? You would give up your membership over this, man you are really passionate about this huh. You know you can buy the items everywhere else right?

Allyn K C

Meh – my TV has the Amazon Prime Video app built-in, so I wasn’t using a media player for that content anyways. No reason for me to cancel my Prime account.

I still dislike that the Amazon executives seem to think the public will buy the excuse other players are banned because the players are at fault for not interacting well with Prime content; when the real issue is Amazon refusing to use the available APIs. Basically they had a little fit over other players being in their playground, and like a spoiled child they’re now kicking out the other kids from their yard.

Franklin Ramsey

Well, technically they are right. The other players don’t work at all with Prime content. They aren’t going to point out that it is their fault for not allowing the others to work with their content.

morgan boyle

the reason i shop amazon is because everything is available there. if they start cherry picking what they dont like, i will be turned off. maybe http://www.JET.com with “take off”.

boisvert00

Great story behind Jet.com – they HATEEEEEE Amazon with a passion.

morgan boyle

As former Amazon CEO’s, im sure they have their reasons.

starnovsky

Successful store should be technology-agnostic. This is a very bad move and will backfire at Amazon in the future.
Well, we still have eBay and direct sales from Google.
One more reason for not getting into Amazon ecosystem.

Dylan

Why didn’t they think of this when they released the Fire Phone. Think of all the sales they would’ve gotten when it was the only phone you could buy on Amazon!

morgan boyle

Amazon chooses not to support Chromecast. it is there fault that the product would confuse consumers.

mcdonsco

Hopefully people start bombarding them with F U emails on this.

gpzbc

The real question is, will they sell the new Chromecast prior to banning it?

schoat333

Amazon clearly thinks they can step in and challenge Google and Apple directly in the mobile entertainment world. I have a feeling they are going to fail.

Jim

Like amazon music for prime, not even a close competitor to any of the others out there. I feel too much like it is just a free sample and they are trying to up sell me too much and not very enjoyable right now.

Jim

It brings attention that they are threatened thereby legitimizing the competition. Good move just backfired. But on a side note i would rather buy it from google online or best buy in person anyways.

I think this is short cited as Amazon had the ability to be the company that was supported on every system which is what I was hoping for. Instead they are moving toward a more walled system. I was really hoping for Chromecast support but instead I might end up canceling my Prime membership as I already have Netflix and found having to use my PS3 to watch Prime too much of a process as it is. I can just put my Prime membership towards renting movies instead which will probably be done through Google. Never mind the fact that every store in my area will price match Amazon so I’ll purchase less items from them. This move might cost them thousands of dollars and I’m just representing one family if others have the same idea this could actually affect there thinking on this decision.

Daistaar

If you’re relying on your Prime membership for their video offerings, you are grossly misusing Prime.

That is not the only thing I use Prime for as I typically order quite a bit from Amazon but as Amazon opened a warehouse in my area I now pay taxes and most stores price match I really gain nothing. It is also why I say this decision could cost them thousands because if I cancel I would stop ordering anything from them.

Nw_adventure

Makes me feel good about cancelling Prime earlier this year- geez Amazon get a grip.

Masri87

Yes, because this behavior will encourage me to buy a amazon fire stick!

David Becker

Don’t do it, I have two, they are horribly under powered.

I know this was sarcasm but this does not stop me from expressing my hatred for fire sticks.

flosserelli

What exactly are you trying to do with them?

David Becker

Sling TV. Works flawlessly on android. It is a suttery mess on amazon fire sticks. I was so happy when sling announced chromecast support is coming.

Jeff “BIG RED”

Mehhh! Who cares, buy elsewhere… Where there is a will, there is a way!

Pressed

Fine, this will just make me buy more media from Google Play and iTunes instead.

Erick Wright

Payback you can no longer reach the amazon site from an android or apple device… Amazon.com now only an exclusive Windows Mobile website

Nick Harrold

Im not sure if the data is available but I would imagine most, if not nearly all apple tv and chromecast sales would have been through amazon, especially outside of the US. It’ll be a huge hit on the new ones

Maxim∑

I’d say most of it came from Apple Stores for Apple TV and Bestbuy for chromecast….

With the fire phone 2, you will no longer be able to purchase other android devices, iOS devices, 3rd party cases, or…….windows phones

Mike

So far you can still buy them.

Franklin Ramsey

Did you read the article? They aren’t allowing new postings for them and any that are currently being sold will be removed on the 29th.

Mike

Completely missed that part lol

Suicide_Note

It’s a childish move on the part of Amazon, though I understand the rationale behind it. If Amazon doesn’t want my money for these products, I’ll happily buy them elsewhere.

wcjeep

Exactly. I was waiting for the new Chromecast Audio to hit Amazon. This article reveals why it never showed. . Someone else was happy to take my money.

Daistaar

Amazon isn’t getting your money for these devices. Google and Apple would be. They can sell directly through Amazon.

Ryan Clayton

If you think Amazon doesn’t get a cut of the sale when these items are purchased through their online marketplace, you are kidding yourself.

OligarchyAmbulance

How does Google take a cut from using the Chromecast?

Daistaar

(re-reads post and thread for where I said that….. can’t find it….)

I think you’re confusing what I said. I didn’t say Google gets a cut from using the Chromecast. I’m making the statement that Amazon stopped selling the Chromecast and Apple TV to not compete against their own Fire products. Every Chromecast or Apple TV sold on Amazon is a FireTV Stick or FireTV NOT sold. Basically Google and Apple as sellers would be making money through the Amazon marketplace.

Also, I know people have said that Amazon does in fact get a percentage of the sale but that’s a horrible argument? Would you rather have 5 percent of $100 dollars, or 100 percent of 40 dollars?

OligarchyAmbulance

By that logic they need to stop selling Rokus, Android TV boxes, Xboxs, and Playstations. Because those devices duplicate the functionality of the Fire TV line, and cut into their sales. The fact is that for whatever reason Amazon refuses to implement Amazon Video on the Chromecast and Apple TV, then got butthurt that they aren’t on those devices and stopped selling them to “avoid customer confusion.”

Doesn’t your state have a use tax you are required to pay for out of state purchases? Most states have laws that require payment directly by the consumer

MagicMiguel

Exactly. Sometimes I think I’m the only one who is actually honest and pays my use tax.

CoreRooted

Did you miss the part that stated “Apple TV”? 🙂

Mike

Lol, that’s a dick move.

Mike O

Amazon’s forcing me to buy Chromecasts from Best Buy. Fine, have it your way…

vdefender

Any word on if BB has them in stock yet? Or *shudder* walmart?

starnovsky

Why not Google?

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

This doesn’t really bother me that much, seeing that if I was to price an Apple TV or Chromecast or Nexus Player (those are also included), then I’d just get it priced matched at Best Buy.

If I want to watch Amazon Instant video I won’t (EVER) be buying an amazon OS product to do so…. I have an Xbox. Done and Done.

Walter Partlo

I have never found a reason to use prime video. My couple of attempts have left me annoyed with the UI, and bouncing straight back to netflix.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

At least on the xbox, Netflix has the worst UI because they try to be so different. Amazon at least follows standard guidelines, and I think is designed better.

Walter Partlo

I don’t have an X-box, I just use a PS3 for a media hub for my kids.

T_Dizzle

Couldn’t agree more! I want to use it but don’t have time to waste on learning the interface.

Mike O

Well I can see why Target doesn’t want to sell Amazon tablets, cause its a direct channel to buy products from Amazon. But this is just dumb.

Keith Taylor

Target and Amazon used to have a relationship several years ago. I don’t know what happened between those two Toys R Us and babies r us they were all tied together.

Daniel Thomas

The only relationship they had was in the running and distribution of their online sales. A lot of small companies uses Amazon’s platform to manage their online distribution. Target, thought that if they wanted to grow their online presence, they needed to do it themselves instead of paying Amazon to do so.

boisvert00

I’ll still shop there like a sheep for the shipping.

Mike O

If I can’t buy Chromecast, how am I going to stream my Amazon video to my TV? An Amazon Stick? Hahaha… no really…

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Well you can’t either way since it doesn’t have chromecast support

MrOrange645

Funny. I do it all the time from my tablet. Cast screen from the notification pulldowj menu. Done deal.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Yea, that’s a pretty solid work around. Even if it’s a bit annoying that you can’t use your device at the same time

Jonathan

Lawsuit incoming in 3… 2… 1…

Tyler Durden

a corp can decide to not sell products. it’s simple. no lawsuit.

Col_Angus

It is if their reason for not selling the Apple TV is becase it’s gay.

antinorm

I didn’t know a media streaming device could have a sexual preference.

Col_Angus

Everyone knows Apple TV only likes to play with other Apple products. Chromecast, on the other hand, is a swinger.

Dan

only the new one is a swinger, the old one was pretty rigid and only went in one direction

Jonathan

I’m not a lawyer and I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night but it just seems to me that because they are purposely trying to stifle the competition that this is ripe for an antitrust lawsuit

Franklin Ramsey

It is a store that is deciding not to sell something. This happens all the times with stores. A retailer still has the right to sell what they wish to sell.

boisvert00

It’s their store, they can do what they wants (in Cartman form)

Jason Spangler

And then no more Amazon products on Android or iPhone.

Tyler Durden

hope you all are safe up there in Oregon!

Yamar

I am, I carry.

mcdonsco

As do I, we need more people doing it to resolve these issues…unfortunately the morons in government will go the other direction.

seldomused

Maybe the should get rid of WDTV and Roku and Smart TVs, and Blu-rays with WIFI.

enigmaco

Probably because no one would buy the fire phone lol.

Dustin

They can do this because they know the vast majority of people aren’t willing to pay 0.5% more for things and buy them somewhere else. This will have zero affect on amazon’s sales. I guarantee it.

Eric James Salcido

Inb4 they stop selling sell phones that have the Play Store installed but not the Amazon App Store to “avoid confusion” How about you just do what you’re supposed to and make sure you service is available on many platforms? I guess this is much easier..

So because of Amazon’s outright refusal to support Android and Apple TV they will ban sales because those devices don’t have Amazon Instant/Prime Video.

Dear god this logic…

Paul Hansen

Or here’s a fun thought. Add Chromecast support to Amazon Video services…

Allyn K C

I was thinking the same thing.

“Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.”

The player itself has available APIs for app developers, Amazon just refuses to implement them. Apparently not implementing the APIs wasn’t doing enough to turn people towards their own players, so they had to go all draconian and ban the competition entirely to try to force it.

I’m fine using other media players – hurry for competition! I just dislike this narcissistic logic from Amazon corporate.

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michael arazan

I’d join Prime if it had Chromecast support. Not going to buy Fire TV just to stream prime. I don’t even know if Fire TV does any of the capabilities that chromecast can.

They didn’t say they banned Nexus/ Android TV which is odd. So will they ban Android Smart TV’s as well. Where Does it Stop Amazon?

Ever since that memo leaked out about the dismal Amazon working conditions, it seems Amazon is legitimately trying to shed it’s “Good Guy” image that it’s had for years. Also, Amazon’s best device was the Kindle (the e-ink ones anyway)

compwagon

Pretty sure those were the only ones that sold, too.

dcvolcom909

It does seem shady at first glance, but they do have their own proprietary hardware and software in direct competition to those items. It is kind of similar to Google selling iPhones in the Google Store, or being able to walk into an Apple Store and buy a Nexus. We have just been used to going on Amazon to find everything and forget they have their own services to be concerned with, not to mention they hardly ever turn a profit

Nick

Except the difference is that Apple and Google’s stores don’t purport to sell everything you’re looking for, as Amazon does. Apple and Google only sell their own products and a few various partner products that complement their own. Amazon is an e-commerce hub. They certainly have the right to decide what products are sold through their service, but I think it’s a bad PR move.

Kurdow

Amazon has not sold iPads for years. And I would guess 99% of consumers do not even know what Chromecast is. I think Amzon will be ok.

If what you said was even remotely accurate amazon would only sell the Echo, Amazon TV/Stick… and some 3rd party accessories. as you can go to any branded store and do… No its nothing like your example… Amazon is a market place for products… Or at least thats what they have been branding themselves as for years.

Raven

This makes me regret my signing up for Prime with their special offer recently. I certainly will not be renewing at full price.
But, for now, I am going to see how many regularly expensive shipping things I can find to buy such as the 10’x10′ canopy that I bought which wanted about $50 for regular shipping that I got free 2 day shipping on.

Jared

I guess it makes sense for them, but it’s not even a slight inconvenience for most people who are going to buy the products anyway. Just seems like unnecessary bad PR.